1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope cover-sheathed endoscope in which an endoscope-cover coverable endoscope to be sheathed with an endoscope cover is structured to shut out water tightly.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, endoscopes have been widely adopted in medical and other fields. As for endoscopes employed in the field of medicine, when an endoscope is inserted into a living body, thorough observation may be disabled due to body fluid or the like adhering to an observation window formed in the distal part of an insertional part of the endoscope. An air supply channel and a water supply channel are provided so that fluid can be sprayed onto the observation window by manipulating the proximal portion of the endoscope in attempts to remove the body fluid or the like adhering to the observation window. In some endoscopes, a suction channel is mounted to suck and drain unnecessary body fluid or the like.
In other endoscopes, a forceps (treatment adaptor) channel is mounted so that tissues can be collected using biopsy forceps or treatment can be given using a treatment adaptor.
When an endoscope having the foregoing air supply channel, a forceps channel, or other channel is applied to a patient, cleaning or sterilization is carried out to prevent infectious diseases reliably. It takes, however, excessive time to perform cleaning or sterilization perfectly. This presents such a problem that the use efficiency of an endoscope deteriorates or the work of sterilization is a nuisance.
In efforts to solve this problem, an endoscope cover-sheathed endoscope has been proposed. In this endoscope cover-sheathed endoscope, an endoscope itself is sheathed with an endoscope cover for use so as not to get dirty even after use. The prior art includes, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,722.
In an endoscope system comprising an endoscope cover and a (endoscope cover) coverable endoscope to be sheathed with the endoscope cover, an insertional part cover having access to a patient's body cavity, and an operational part cover and other components that may be contaminated with a hand which has touched mucus adhering to the insertional part cover are all disposed of after every examination of a patient.
The endoscope-cover coverable endoscope need not be cleaned because it will not be contaminated. Efforts have been made to reduce the load an operator must incur by improving operability through downsizing and weight cutting of an operational part, or to minimize the prime cost by simplifying structures. The endoscope-cover coverable endoscope has not been structured to tightly shut out water.
In actual clinical sites, when a cover is removed from a coverable endoscope after examination, the coverable endoscope may sometimes be broken, or contaminated because it is held with a contaminated hand carelessly.
In this case, the endoscope must be disinfected to protect a doctor from being infected through the endoscope. However, since the endoscope has not been structured to shut out water, the endoscope has not been able to be immersed in disinfectant for disinfection.
An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope cover-sheathed endoscope capable of being immersed deeply in disinfectant when contaminated because of carelessness or for other reasons, and of being handled easily.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope cover-sheathed endoscope offering high use efficiency.
The endoscope-cover coverable endoscope to be sheathed with an endoscope cover for use .is structured to tightly shut out water, so that even when contaminated because of carelessness or for other reasons, the endoscope can be immersed in disinfectant and thus disinfected effortlessly.